What We Do

System Planning & Coordination

Complex social problems require deliberate plans and proven tools to unravel and solve. The Coalition is dedicated to promoting the use of best practices in programs developed to end homelessness.

Housing First

Housing First is the nationally promoted, evidence based approach to ending homelessness based on the following main premises:

Homelessness is a crisis in housing and can be solved with the provision of housing;

All people can be successful in housing, no matter their history with housing or life factors;

There are no pre-conditions necessary to becoming housed, no classes, treatments, or time requirements are necessary to become “ready” for housing;

Support services should be tailored to each person’s unique needs and desires to ensure success in housing;

After a person is housed, other challenges in life become easier to address. A stable foundation is critical to progress in life;

All people experiencing homelessness should be treated with dignity and respect and have the right to self-determination.

This means services to end homelessness should not require income, good credit or rental history, clear criminal history or sobriety.

Plans

Our community created a comprehensive, 10 year plan to end homelessness in 2004, titled the Vision to End Homelessness. This plan helped to shift our community’s focus from managing homelessness and providing crisis services to one focused on permanent housing and long term solutions.

In 2015, the Dyer-Ives, Frey, Grand Rapids Community and Steelcase Foundations supported a retrospective look at progress made toward achieving the “Vision to End Homelessness.” The full report is available here. The Coalition to End Homelessness is working to address the recommendations articulated in the report and to incorporate them into its three- year plan.

As an update, the community created a 3 Year Action Plan to reach our main goals of ending homelessness for Veterans, ending chronic homelessness, ending homelessness for families and youth, and laying the path to end homelessness for all. You can read the full plan here: CoC Strategic Plan Final, or check our progress on the plan in this 2018 update.

Data

General Membership Meetings

All members as well as the general public are welcome to attend our bi-monthly CoC Meetings. Meetings are held the fourth Thursday of the month from 9:30 am — 11:00 am at the Kroc Center, 2500 S Division, Grand Rapids, MI 49508

Committees

A Continuum of Care is only as strong as the members and services represented within it. Our Coalition relies upon the hard work of dedicated members to carry the work forward. You can read more from each committee at the links below

CoC Program Applications

One of the most critical actions of the Coalition is to complete the HUD Continuum of Care Program Application for the entire community and all of its HUD CoC funded programs annually. Previous applications will be posted here, as well as documents for the funding process as it unfolds.